Oscars 2019: The Night's Biggest Snubs And Surprises

Olivia Colman poses with the award for best performance by an actress in a leading role for "The Favourite" in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

The Oscars have gained a bit of notoriety this year. They chose Kevin Hart for the host, then took it back. They said there would be only two musical performances, then took it back. They said the categories for cinematography, editing, live action short, and make-up and hair styling would be presented during commercials, then took it back. After all of this hullabaloo, the film world held its breath and waited to see how the night would actually turn out.

Some of it turned out exactly as you'd expect. Alfonso Cuaron won for best director for Roma. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga gave a powerful performance of "Shallow," which Gaga won for best original song. Regina King gave an acceptance speech full of heart for her win for best actress in a supporting role for If Beale Street Could Talk. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse continued its winning streak in the animated feature category. Black Panther scooped up a bunch of tech category wins. And yet, as with any award show, there were major snubs and surprises throughout the night, shocking everyone, and making film history.

Surprise: Olivia Colman Won For Best Actress In A Leading Role

When Glenn Close won the Golden Globe for best lead actress in a motion picture drama, it was considered a surprise. People thought Lady Gaga would win, and Close's film The Wife was very much flying under the radar. As she continued to win awards throughout the season, however, people were less and less surprised to hear her name called, and she became the favorite (no pun intended) to win the Oscar. However, there was another name called that night at the Golden Globes. Olivia Colman won for best lead actress in a motion picture comedy or musical, and she went on to the BAFTA as well. This created the circumstances for her dark horse win Oscars night, for her role in the wonderfully weird film, The Favourite.

Snub: Glenn Close Lost

As I said, everyone fully expected to hear Close's name called at the Oscars last night. After her Golden Globe win, Close went on to win the SAG award and tied with Lady Gaga for The Critics' Choice Award. Many considered the situation to be Close finally getting what she deserved. At 71 years old, Close has been nominated for an Oscar seven times (including this year). It seemed that seventh time's the charm, but unfortunately, Close went home empty-handed once again.

Surprise: Barbra Streisand Introduced BlacKkKlansman

The Dolby Theater went into a frenzy when film legend Barbra Streisand walked on stage. She then gave the most beautiful introduction to BlacKkKlansman and told a story about how she connected with director Spike Lee over her love for the film (thanks Twitter!), and over both of them being from Brooklyn. The moment made for one of the most heartfelt of the night.

Snub: A Star Is Born Lost All But One

When A Star is Born dropped in October, it instantly became the favorite to take over the Oscars. This seemed to be proven, as it racked up the nominations at the different awards shows. However, as each award show passed, the film won very few of the awards it was nominated for. Besides a consistent winning streak for its original song "Shallow," A Star is Born became the film that gets nominated a lot, but doesn't win. This was no less the case Oscars night when Lady Gaga took home the trophy for "Shallow" and nothing more.

Surprise: First Man Won For Best Visual Effects

Visual effects is that category that welcomes in all of the genre films that couldn't get nominated anywhere else. If you're a lover of genre films (as I am), then this category usually provides a nice little jolt of joy. This year, it seemed as if it would be no different. Avengers: Infinity War, Ready Player One, and Solo: A Star Wars Story entered the category as 2018's key action films, while Christopher Robin slipped in as that one little weird family film. It's great to see Black Panther do so well in so many of the other categories, but it hurts that most other action films have been relegated to this small corner of the Academy. However, it seems even in the one category reserved for action films to be able to shine, a drama will come and steal the spotlight. Certainly, no one expected First Man to be called, and it was quite a let down when it was. I must advocate justice for Avengers: Infinity War.

Snub: All Movies That Include The Name "Mary" In The Title Must Surely Lose

Mary Poppins Returns was nominated four times, while Mary Queen of Scots (one of the few films of the night directed by a woman) was nominated twice. Yet, both films lost all of the categories they were nominated for. I guess there's just something about Mary (pun fully intended).

Surprise: Green Book Won The Big Award Of The Night

This movie has had quite the roller coaster. It first took a while for people to realize it even existed, with low box office turnout. When people did start to notice, the early talk was positive. It's a feel-good movie about a fairly serious subject matter, and people like that. However, that bubble burst rather quickly as the film descended into notoriety amid a debate about how the film handles race and its own narrative. The whole thing has left a bad taste in people's mouths about the film. That's not to say it hasn't been winning some major awards, including the Golden Globe for best motion picture musical or comedy, but it was low down on expectations to win the big award come Oscar night, and the announcement left many wondering if this was a La La Land/Moonlight situation.

Snub: Roma Inexplicably Lost

Alfonso Cuaron's Roma was considered by pretty much all to be a lock for best picture. Beloved by critics and audiences alike, the Netflix original is a huge success for foreign language films. It won the Critics' Choice Awards top prize, as well as the BAFTA's, and the only reason it didn't win best drama at the Golden Globes is because that show doesn't allow foreign language films to be nominated for the category (which should 100% be changed), but it did win the Golden Globe for best foreign language film. As the momentum grew, it seemed Roma was unstoppable. It took home three awards Oscar night, including best director for Cuaron. How it didn't win best picture, I'll never understand and will remain one of Hollywood's great mysteries.